tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:36:57 +0000This blog is a combination "personal musings" (mostly satirical and dripping with sarcasm) ranging from what's going on in my life to my views on politics and various current events. For 2010 my goal is to make an entry every day for the entire year or at least as close as I can come to that goal as may be practical.http://www.etalii-step.com/noreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)Blogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-2558623895570489586Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:36:00 +00002010-02-05T20:36:57.438-08:00"Switching" I'm changing the address of my blog at least temporarily to etaliistep.blogspot.com. Of course I'm writing this before I've actually made the change so I'm mostly assuming the address is available and will eventually be correct.... When switch back to this address I will also be on WordPress, an apparently infinately superior blog and content management platform. I would like to http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/02/switching-im-changing-address-of-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-2210220294412648711Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:25:00 +00002010-02-04T18:25:11.811-08:00"What, Again?" I guess today is pretty much the same as yesterday. I went and ended up spending the day at my sister's again but didn't do any walking this time. It looked like it was about the rain all day but didn't really so I didn't go for any walks. And I've been at my sister's house all day anyway so there wasn't a lot of opportunity to go for a walk anyway. Maybe tomorrow. I did get as farhttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/02/what-again-i-guess-today-is-pretty-much.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-7282705643136606205Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +00002010-02-03T20:25:41.530-08:00"Walk" As I write this I am actually at my sister's house, sitting on her couch. Today I watched more TV thanks to Hulu, in particular the first and second episodes of LOST. I didn't think it was a terrible two-hour premier but it still seemed like it was missing something some how. Not sure what exactly. Maybe just some level of energy or pacing or...something? The second episode ended and I http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/02/walk-as-i-write-this-i-am-actually-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-5091184060760172122Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:43:00 +00002010-02-02T12:43:39.902-08:00"FTP" I got an email today from the google/blogger people about the eventual end of FTP support. some where in the back of my mind I kind of wondered about this since it said it had to re-upload like six megabytes of data every time I made one minor change to the blogger template. It seems kind of expensive to do that for everybody every time. The email, which blogger saw fit to send me six timeshttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/02/ftp-i-got-email-today-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-6951810647922468937Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:05:00 +00002010-02-01T16:05:39.038-08:00"Or not, then" Okay so I don't really want to talk about this any more with anyone. Can't exactly have a complete blog without mentioning it slightly: that job I was supposed to start today, well it didn't go so good lets just say. Actually it went fine, I showed up on time, got my picture taken met who I was supposed to meet, everything seemed fine. Until the lady that I would be working for andhttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/02/or-not-then-okay-so-i-dont-really-want.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-6501786685750257670Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:26:00 +00002010-01-31T22:26:41.113-08:00"Interview Prep" For this entry I'm going to spend most to all of it preparing for tomorrow's interview. And perhaps indirectly prepping for the first day of the job. You know, that other minor thing happening tomorrow. The lady related to this interview I have apparently forgot to send me some minor details about tomorrow's interview so I had sent her email mentioning that if there was anything http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/interview-prep-for-this-entry-im-going.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-5124000860123994598Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:07:00 +00002010-01-30T19:07:37.605-08:00"Black Berry" Yes, it's time to upgrade the black berry. I've been using it with the same OS and mini-Opera browser for years and it was starting to get a little stale. Pretty much every day that I used it for calls or with the browser I would pull the battery out and put it back in to force a reboot. Please it's a good idea to back up things like the address book and if it will back up my mail http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/black-berry-yes-its-time-to-upgrade.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-1259840862700016556Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:30:00 +00002010-01-29T22:30:44.260-08:00"Balance" It seems like, some how, a lot more of these entries should start out with something other than Today, I. I mean I'm not sure how else I would start a post but it still seems like on some level there should be some other way or perhaps just a lot of vareity of startting posts. Guess I'll have to work on that. Well I managed to continue my balancing act I've been keeping up since http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/balance-it-seems-like-some-how-lot-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-7683656731773172056Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:06:00 +00002010-01-28T16:06:17.483-08:00"Choices" Today I have some choices to make. I found out the start day and time of the new job I have agreed to take is Monday at 9am. I also found out I have passed the technical interview of the salaried position and they want to send me to the first in-person "team" interview at 11:30am either Monday or Tuesday. I am having difficulty figuring out how exactly I will be able to accomplish http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/choices-today-i-have-some-choices-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-8640321323101326744Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:31:00 +00002010-01-27T22:31:00.515-08:00"Waiting" Today I was still waiting on any news from the staffing service. You know minor details like where I would be showing up, what I would be bringing with me and some form of dress code perhaps. Also, I expected I would have to get a urine test for the standard drug testing. So in all likelihood, everything else being equal so to speak, I think my first day will likely be on Monday. Sincehttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/waiting-today-i-was-still-waiting-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-7024935686943285000Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:03:00 +00002010-01-26T22:03:51.112-08:00"Offer" Today I got an offer. Actually it's through a staffing service and I haven't actually talked to them never mind interviewed for the position or with this company. Which seems weird. According to the staffing service lady the company had lots of resumes and some how narrowed it down to me as the only candidate left and then decided they were making me an offer having never spoken to me. http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/offer-today-i-got-offer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-6506217991569701880Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:55:00 +00002010-01-26T00:03:48.187-08:00"Perot" Today I got the new wheels put on to my car. I also paid them to re-align my wheels as needed which ended up costing me another $60US. On top of the $770 I already paid. Talk about insult to injury. At least my wheels and tires better damn well be fantastic for whatever remainder of life the car has in it! Which I imagine isn't a whole lot. I also got not one but two calls for two more http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/perot-today-i-got-new-wheels-put-on-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-5064134407968568789Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:04:00 +00002010-01-24T22:01:19.286-08:00"Niece" I have no idea what I should really make this entry about since I did relatively little since my last entry. Pretty much all day today I played with my Niece who is a very mature 2 1/2 years old. I say mature because she seems so smart for 2 1/2 and when I show pictures to people and ask them to guess her age the response is usually "between 4 and 6". Anyway to say she is quite a http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/niece-i-have-no-idea-what-i-should.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-9023308973914880510Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:41:00 +00002010-01-24T22:00:12.272-08:00"Moon" Tonight I watched a little movie called "Moon". Obviously low-budget, if I had to guess, it really wasn't all that bad. It really only had the one actor. Well one actor, possibly his double and this HAL 9000-like computer A.I. system that may as well have been another character. The computer's voice was Kevin Spacey actually. I recognized the main character from a movie from roughly ten http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/moon-tonight-i-watched-little-movie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-2730656412242700943Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:29:00 +00002010-01-22T13:29:16.489-08:00"LAN" I'm ending up writing this entry much earlier in the day than normal to get the post "out of the way". Of course that not usually a good sign one is really enjoying something if said thing has be done to get it out of the way so to speak. I mean it's not that I hate doing entries it just sometimes seems like a chore when I could be doing other things like reading my PHP book. Actually I http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/lan-im-ending-up-writing-this-entry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-540986248243594107Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:34:00 +00002010-01-21T21:34:44.562-08:00"Depressed" Well maybe that's over-exaggerating a little. I don't know that I'm really that depressed. My ego isn't exactly in a state I would describe as healthy but I don't think I'm that depressed. I found out that I did not get the job I interviewed for yesterday. I was actually feeling a little confident, I had some feeling of a glimmer of hope on some level. A hope that maybe this long, http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/depressed-well-maybe-thats-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-8231075866709664333Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:26:00 +00002010-01-20T23:34:15.792-08:00"Anticipation" Yes, I went to the interview today. It was an interview unlike any I have ever had before. There were actually three stops along the way in this interview, and two other cnad Okay I am going to interrupt my own blog to say I have some how broken my wireless keyboard. I don't know what I did but it just stops taking certain keys after a few words. Keys like delete, backspace and http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/anticipation-yes-i-went-to-interview.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-1697546142157800437Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:57:00 +00002010-01-24T22:02:17.761-08:00"Excited" Today I am excited about tomorrow. I am excited because I officially have the interview scheduled for tomorrow at 10am, scheduled to last rough two hours as part of a "hands-on" interview. Apparently I'll be demonstrating my skills instead of simply talking about them. Something to look forward to! I still don't feel like I have nearly enough information to effectively prepare for ithttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/excited-today-i-am-excited-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-3439505210860953879Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:44:00 +00002010-01-18T21:58:17.671-08:00"Breathing Room" I'm glad I'm making some amount of progress on this room each day. Maybe if I keep this up I will eventually have a half-decently organized room... That's about all for today really: I put five of the large number of storage bins along side the book shelf/entertainment center and a sixth is acting as a bed-side table sorta deal for remotes and my PHP book. Which I did read http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/breathing-room-im-glad-im-making-some.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-4385216219472621819Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:20:00 +00002010-01-17T22:25:50.530-08:00 "Wide Screen" Well this is my first blog post using my super-great wide screen TV/monitor of twenty-something inches (I went to say 26 or 27, I don't remember). I'm actually sitting a fair distance back from the screen which is just as well since the resolution I'm running at only support 60Hz. And why is that bad you ask? Because too close up that frequency really makes my eyes sore and http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/wide-screen-well-this-is-my-first-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-3107796466945992268Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:43:00 +00002010-01-16T23:43:45.484-08:00"Boxes" You know that last post where I said i had this idea and I'd better write out so I can do other stuff? Well guess what. Yep, I did it. I went to the Ikea and purchased what are creatively called a "sofa bed". Some people I hear like to call them futons but I guess the swedes do everything their own way, eh? For various reasons as soon as we can back from the ikea with this new bed we http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/boxes-you-know-that-last-post-where-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-7981511613172498243Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:10:00 +00002010-01-15T17:10:29.106-08:00"Futon" So every so often something like this happens: I think of something that I think is incredibly neat or a good idea but I can't do anything at that one moment then no matter what I do I just can't stop thinking about that idea. Maybe it's an OCD thing or something, I don't know. Sometimes writing about it or other-wise thinking it through helps make the obsessiveness wane a little so thathttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/futon-so-every-so-often-something-like.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-283846684570814361Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:43:00 +00002010-01-14T22:43:21.166-08:00"Together" Today I did actually finish putting together my new uber-PC in its case with all the fans powered up and blah-blah-blah. And I have to say it is rather fast. One bit of news though: last night after I had submitted my post I decided to see if I could fix that little issue with the system only recognizing four out of six gigs of memory by putting the third memory stick in the only http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/together-today-i-did-actually-finish.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-5822794885365377322Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:33:00 +00002010-01-13T22:33:08.728-08:00"Pile of Parts" Today I received my giant pile of PC parts and I set about putting the thing together. It was a lot more of a pain then I thought it would be, at least at first. I have learned enough now it's better to put the memory sticks and processor into the motherboard before putting the motherboard into the case. Which work pretty well actually. The ATI 5870 card I purchased was large. Ihttp://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/pile-of-parts-today-i-received-my-giant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284104.post-5346156387161694877Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:14:00 +00002010-01-12T21:14:13.520-08:00"Interview" Today I did very little to speak of except for that phone interview I had mentioned previously. There were two of them asking the questions actually. The one guy just asked me a few things from my resume which I expanded on well I think and then he asked some fairly basic (well I would call them basic anyway) questions about PC hardware. Like out of AGP/PCI/PCIe which came first http://www.etalii-step.com/2010/01/interview-today-i-did-very-little-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Col. Dubois)0